now, yeah, you don't even have to. good morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm sunny hostin in for paula faris. we begin with the monster snowmaker unloading on the nation's midsection. blizzard warnings are in effect for eight states, with blinding snow coming down in major cities like omaha, des moines and green bay. >> whiteout conditions have caused numerous car crashes across several states, including nebraska, kansas and iowa. a state of emergency has been declared in wisconsin where many schools are close ed today. abc's ginger zee braved the storm in des moines. >> here to madison, wisconsin, in the next 24 hours, it will be a foot or more. the wind gusts will make drifts three to five feet, just as all of these holiday travelers hit the roads. >> planes, too. air travelers hoping to beat the

christmas travel crush were stranded in denver as their flights were canceled. crews tried to deice planes and clear the runways. but they couldn't keep up with all of the falling snow. winter getting an early start. officially tomorrow, right? and more on where that storm is headed and who will get the worst of it. >> meteorologist jim dickey is tracking it all from accuweather. good morning, jim. >> good morning, rob and sunny. a powerful area of low pressure will batter the upper midwest and great lakes, with wind-driven snow through the day. often with the threat of strong to severe thunderstorms. as far as the snow is concerned, substantial accumulations across wisconsin, as snow will be heavy. looking for a band of 12 to 18 inches. across green bay area, with a wide swath of 6 to 12. >> thanks, jim. for the latest on this blizzard. team coverage coming up on "good morning america." ginger and sam champion will keep us posted.

our other major story, another wave of grief will wash across newtown, connecticut, later today, as more shooting victims are laid to rest. >> also, the president is taking the first steps in a major effort to prevent such tragedies from ever happening again. abc's mark greenblatt joins us live, now, from newtown, with more. hi, mark. >> reporter: good morning, rob and sunny. sadly, we're expecting more funeral processions to be going up and down the road behind me today. and the president is endorsing sweeping, new gun restrictions. ♪ amazing grace >> reporter: tears flowed freely and neighboring communities came together for a tribute to newtown. >> benjamin, one of the greatest. abigail, one of the greatest. >> reporter: funeral processions seemed to spread across connecticut for the shooting victims, both children and adults.

more than 100 firefighters honored young daniel barden, who wanted to grow up to be one of them. >> these young kids to have their lives taken so early. >> reporter: mourners paid respect to dawn hochsprung. and victoria soto was laid to rest. >> i think any teacher would do what she did. not blink and do whatever had to be done to protect those children. >> reporter: but a rebirth, of sorts, is under way for sandy hook students. some got a first look at their classrooms. the principal will come out of retirement as a former sandy hook principal. and in washington, president obama issued a resounding call to action. >> this is not some washington commission. >> reporter: the president announced a powerful team of cabinet members, now have the new task of creating immediate reforms to prevent more shootings. and the vice president isn't wasting any time in getting to action. today, planning to convene a

meeting of top law enforcement officials from all around the country, trying to brainstorm a way forward. live in sandy hook, mark greenblatt. rob and sunny, back to you. >> the fallout from the tragedy, remarkable. thank you for the live report. and the sides placing new restrictions on so-called assault weapons. the white house is also looking at other solutions to the nation's gun problem. among the considerations, better funding for mental health counseling. also, steps to keep society from glamorizing guns and violence. the president is promising to send the idea to congress by the end of january. in response to the washington talk about gun control, sales are surging at gun shops. a store in charlotte, north carolina, wracked up more than $1 million in sales in just one day. the best the shop has ever done. at the top of shoppers' list was the bushmaster ar-15, the model of rifle used at newtown that sells for as much as $4,000. and that has almost sold out. in other news this morning,

a top state department official is expected to face some pretty tough questions on capitol hill today about the benghazi attack. secretary of state hillary clinton had been set to testify at that hearing. but she is still recovering from a concussion. a deputy will testify instead. now, four top staffers, meanwhile, they have been relieved of their duties in the aftermath of a report that detailed many management mistakes within the state department. also, former federal judge, yale professor and conservative icon, robert bork, has passed away. he found himself in the center of a bruising battle when ronald reagan nominated him to the supreme court in 1987. he was rejected, pummeled in confirmation hearings, by senator ted kennedy and other democrats. he was 85 years old. "zero dark thirty" is now facing criticism from a pretty powerful group of lawmakers. senator john mccain, dianne

feinstein and carl levin are calling the film misleading and grossly inaccurate. in a letter to sony pictures, they were especially bothered by the suggestion that torture produced the tip that led to the military capture of bin laden. america has a new ally in the ongoing conflict of north korea. she is south korea's new president-elect, nicknamed the ice queen. she won yesterday's election. her father was president in the '60s. a familiar honor for president obama. he is, again, "time" magazine's person of the year. an editor said, we are in the midst of historic, cultural and demographic changes. and obama is both the symbol and in some ways the architect of this new america. he also received the honor in 2008. and coming up next, after the break, how the fiscal cliff could mean a delayed tax refund. don't like to hear that. for millions of americans.

plus, it's a procrastinator's dream. deep discounts expected at stores this weekend, after a disappointing season so far. and the universe has a new reigning beauty queen. we'll tell you the winner when we come right back. (kj;ñ;ñ;ñ;ñx

welcome back, everybody. the deadlock over how to avoid the fiscal cliff is putting a damper on stocks. for the first time this week, all the major averages on wall street fell yesterday, amid sharpening verbal barbs from president obama and house speaker john boehner. the house votes on the republican so-called plan "b."

but the white house has already rejected it. and it has little chance of passing in the senate. the irs says if no deal is reached, it could mean filing delays for 100 million taxpayers. an agreement would include a change to the minimum tax. then, the irs must adjust its computers, which could take until late march. and only then could alternative minimum tax filers actually send in their returns. uncle sam is ready to sell his stake in general motors. a plan was announced yesterday, in which gm will pay the government for 200 million of its shares. and the government will then sell its remaining stake, 300 million shares on the market for the next 12 to 15 months. taxpayers, though, are expected to lose billions in the deal. and as the battle over thomas kincaid's estate has been settled secretly. the artist's widow and his girlfriend had been locked in a very public dispute over whether a handwritten will was actually

valid. in a statement, the lawyers said the women kept the artist's message of love, spirituality and optimism in their amicable resolution. no word on who gets the art, the money or that mansion. shoppers who've waited until the last minute may be rewarded with some big discounts. stores are trying to salvage what has been a so-so holiday season so far. some major retailers have slashed things by 60%. luxury retailer, sach's, has cut prices on designer labels. online sales have been disappoi disappointing. coming up next, it's a policy already in place in some schools. but is it a good idea to arm the nation's teachers? and a rough week for tim tebow. losing his girl, and much more. i have what science calls the nightly stuffy nose thing.

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a blinding dust storm is being blamed for a series of chain-reaction crashes in west texas. at least one person was killed in the pileup. and nearly 20 injured, as high winds blew thick dirt and debris across the area. one driver compared it to a whiteout, saying you couldn't see past the hood of your car. expect snow-covered roads from the rockies to wisconsin. a wet commute for chicago, detroit and indianapolis. also, slick from the ohio valley down to the gulf coast. wet highways and snowy passes in the pacific northwest. and if you're flying, airport delays are possible in chicago, minneapolis, kansas city, detroit, new orleans, memphis, atlanta and charlotte. >> a lot of cities. rough day to fly today. be careful, folks. back to the news this morning. the ohio attorney general has now become the latest public official to suggest that arming teachers may be the best way to

prevent another school shooting tragedy. >> some states, guards and even teachers are already carrying guns. alex perez explores the debate in abc's effort to search for solutions. >> reporter: since the tragedy at sandy hook, lawmakers across the country are pushing a new solution, to arm teachers in classrooms with guns. >> you should be able to carry your handgun anywhere in this state. >> i wish to god she had had an m-4 in her office locked up. >> reporter: gun advocates point to a case in 1997, when an armed vice president at a high school in pearl, mississippi, stopped a gunman who had already shot and killed two students. but at a school in suburban chicago, where the focus is high-tech security, but no guns, fourth grade teacher dara thacker says training teachers to be sharp-shooters and expecting them to be in the right place at the right time is unrealistic. >> i think it would be better to

keep the guns out of school, rather than arm teachers. >> reporter: in this season in which people are desperate to do something, in tennessee, one marine overcome with emotion after sandy hook, decided to do something on his own. he stands guard outside his daughter's school in nashville, praying his uniform will be enough to deter the unthinkable. >> if you're capable and able of doing something, you have the responsibility to act. >> reporter: only one goal, he says. to be a tiny sense of hope, after a flood of despair. alex perez, abc news, chicago. and we'll get into this issue a little deeper on "good morning america." part of our search for solutions, after the newtown tragedy. also, some shocking numbers out this morning. abuse of marijuana and some prescription drugs is up among teens. nearly 7% of high school seniors say they smoke pot every day. five years ago, that number was 5%. nearly 8% of teens, meanwhile,

admit of using the stimulant adderall, which treats attention deficit disorder. that's up from three years ago. an alarming, new study about mistakes being made during surgery. it says major mistakes happen more than 4,000 times a year here in the u.s. the study by doctors at johns hopkins says those mistakes include leaving objects inside a patient, operating on the wrong body part. and even operating on the wrong patient. and in some lighter news, it's been a tough week for new york jets' quarterback, tim tebow. not only was he passed over to be the jets' starter in their upcoming game against san diego. word is that he's also no longer dating actress camilla belle. they were dating for less than two month. as for last night's hoops highlight, we get those from espn. >> randy scott with your "sportscenter" update. and we start with two of the hottest teams in the nba. one of them, the clippers,

hosting the hornets, at staples center last night. the hornets lost to the lakers there a night earlier. chris paul, inside to blake griffin. one of the worst performances in his career last night. he played new orleans and got some help from his buddies. later, second quarter, cp-3. this time, to deandre jordan. and they don't call him lob city for nothing. jordan, 12 points, perfectly coinciding with chris paul's help helpers. clippers opening up a 14-point lead. later, they're up 13. off the steal, this time, it's chris paul throwing down. the little fella can get up. 11-straight wins for the clippers. that's their longest streak since they were called the buffalo braves in the '70s. thunder and hawks. okc, kevin durant and company have won 11-straight. in atlanta, russell westbrook, appropriately named the highlight factory.

that's a point guard. westbrook finding durant on the wing. durant was huge. how huge? how about 41 points huge? josh smith, also finding out durant can play some defense. durant gets out on the break. and westbrook's going to find him. and durant's going to throw down and one. bucket and the bonus. durant had 41 points, 10 rebounds. tenth time in his career he had those numbers. he got that game when he got this tight spin move. crossover, stepback, three-point game. it's not fair. oklahoma city, 12 in a row. 100-92. i'm randy scott. that's all for your "sportscenter" update. have a great day. now, to an important update you've been waiting for out there. the video that had millions yesterday wondering, could it be real? we now know that the image of an eagle snatching a baby is not real. just a class project by some canadian animation students.

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how lyrica affects you. with less pain, i'm feeling better now that i've found lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. time to check "the pulse," of pop culture. we start with some congratulations, in fact. for the new miss universe, america's own olivia culpo. >> she's 20 years old, originally from rhode island and is a sophomore at boston university. culpo is the first american to be crowned miss universe since 1997. >> she is also an accomplished cello player that's performed with yo-yo ma and on stage at carnegie hall here in new york. congratulations to her.

beautiful, young lady. >> yes, you approve? >> thumbs up. this is breaking news for anyone in our business. ron burgundy and the action 4 news team are coming back. and now, we finally know when. >> "anchorman: the legend continues" opens in theaters one year from today, december 20th, 2013. go write that in one of your many leather-bound books. as one legendary group returns, another is getting ready to retire. sadly, tonight is the last episode of "jersey shore" after six epic seasons. >> no more gtl. no more partying at karma. but fear not. snooki says she is still planning to return to the shore every summer. >> those kids were entertaining and made a ton of money. fast food is now faster than ever. at one restaurant, you don't have to waste time unwrapping your meal. >> introducing the edible wrapper. that's right. just sink your teeth into the fully-wrapped burger. it's been promoted by a

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captioned by closed captioning services, inc. good thursday morning it is 4:28. cold start. >> is it colder this morning mike? good morning. maybe in the east bay valleys, everywhere else a touchy hate to say warmer, not as cold still 30s in a lot of areas. clouds to the north right now all is quiet as far as rain. 33 napa now, 35 san rafael. east bay valleys 29 concord, 32 livermore.

38 san jose. 44 in san francisco, redwood city 33 frost forming in your outlying areas. rain in the north bay this afternoon temperature around 50 along the coast for the bay 50 to 54 inland 50 to 53° with rain on the way after the sunk sets. kind of quiet. a couple of issues golden gate bridge northbound down to one lane due to roadwork. southbound two lanes that roadwork on the northern part of the span traffic veryuä light. north 880 injury accident at stevenson blocking the left lane not showing major slow downs they hope to get that cleared. roadwork northbound 880 hesperian into washington. with the bay area waking

up to the big chill, some may get a frosty welcome as they get ready for work. terry mcsweeney is in novato. >> reporter: we go up here to petaluma we are heading north. they want us to be as cold as possible all morning long so we made it to petaluma and washington street talking to some people, talked to a woman named debbie she says the hottest item at the safeway now is soup. something to think about. not a bad idea. it is very cold right now. i thought it would be good to introduce the first wearing of the scarf of the winter season. i'm going to drape myself in that. i think from now until maybe march, there is going to be a need for these emotional ceremony out here. we are heading north, it is very cold.)dut nicco know, i'm sure he knows the